New Google Earth is out but it’s not exciting for mapping professionals

Today Google released a new version of Google Earth (version 9). Unfortunately, it’s not a new standalone desktop app. This version is again designed to run in a Web browser (limited to Chrome). There is also a new Android app (and iOS coming soon).

The new version features a couple of cool improvements including destination discovery, knowledge cards and much better 3D navigation. Additionally, Google Earth now suggest “Points of Interest” it thinks the users will like based on what they have searched for in the past.

But the biggest new selling points are interactive tours. This feature is called ‘Voyager’ and it enables people to take interactive journeys guided by experienced scientists and documentarians from BBC Earth, NASA, Sesame Street, and the Jane Goodall Institute.

This new released is really cool but I’m a bit disappointed that there is no update to the Google Earth Pro desktop app which is still stuck on version 7. It has a lot of great pro features likes measurements and recording that aren’t available in the Web browser version.

It is great to see that Google is still investing in the product but we would definitely like to more pro features during the next releases of the app.

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I’m a professional always thinking outside the box and a self-confessed gadget addict. As a son of a professor of cartography I was surrounded by maps all my life and as a result spatial way of thinking and seeing reality is naturally embedded in who I am.

Google already annoucend 2 years ago that they were getting of the Desktop/Thick Client GIS business, with the deprecation of Google Earth Enterprise/Pro combo. Future release of Google Earth/Map will be 100% cloud based…